Murder suspect nabbed in Petaluma quickly returned to Mexico

December 31, 2013, 8:46PM

12/31/2013

A citizen of Mexico suspected of murdering a man in his home country was captured in Petaluma Friday and turned over Tuesday to Mexican law enforcement officials.

Mario Alberto Hernandez-Huerta, 32, is accused of fatally shooting Christian Trujillo Rodriguez in the state of Jalisco on May 8, 2012. Hernandez-Huerta allegedly shot the man multiple times with a pistol after the two men had a verbal argument that led Trujillo Rodriguez to throw a rock at Hernandez-Huerta's home, according to a statement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Several people witnessed the pre-dawn shooting and identified Hernandez-Huerta as the suspect, according to Mexican authorities.

The Mexico Attorney General's Office alerted ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations department in San Francisco about the murder warrant. The department's Fugitive Operations Team began investigating and its work led to a Petaluma home.

On Dec. 27, Hernandez-Huerta was found at the home and taken into custody without incident, according to ICE. On Dec. 27, Hernandez-Huerta was found at the home and taken into custody without incident, according to ICE. He previously was deported from the U.S. in 2000 following his conviction in Oakland for assault with a firearm. Reinstating that prior removal order allowed Tuesday's fast-track repatriation, officials said.